Tag Archives: Cal Smith

One of the earliest members of both the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ernest Tubb’s legacy stretches back to the 1940’s, when he became one of country music’s earliest national stars.

Hailing from Texas, Tubb was the son of a sharecropper who passed the time listening to Jimmie Rodgers records, which inspired him to take up singing and yodeling. By age nineteen, he was singing on the radio in San Antonio, while digging ditches for the federal government to pay the bills. He wrote Rodgers’s widow, hoping for an autograph, and it started a friendship that motivated her to help Tubb land a recording contract.

An impressive run of hit singles and his visible Opry stardom gave him tremendous success as a singer, but it’s been Bill Anderson’s songwriting that’s kept him topping the country charts for decades longer than even his most successful contemporaries.

The man who’d become known as Whisperin’ Bill Anderson had always wanted to be a professional writer, but it was sports journalism that was his original goal. But as he was working his way through college as a radio disc jockey, he was inspired to try his hand at songwriting. An early attempt was “City Lights”, which ended up a smash hit for Ray Price and began a songwriting career that is still going strong 55 years later.

Soon, he was writing hits for himself as well as others. He earned his Whisperin’ moniker from his soft, conversational singing style, which found him speaking as often as singing. The sixties brought classic recordings like “The Tips of My Fingers”, which didn’t include the plural of tip when he recorded it, but was added when other artists like Roy Clark and Steve Wariner also had hits with it. He launched Connie Smith’s career with “Once a Day”, just a year after he released a country classic of his own, the #1 smash hit, “Still.”

In addition to his solo hits like “Po’ Folks” and “I Get the Feeling”, he had a series of successful duets with Jan Howard and with Mary Lou Turner. A collaboration with the latter, “Sometimes”, was his final #1 hit in 1975, after which his hits as an artists became fewer and far between. From this point on, his popularity as a performer would be limited to his Opry appearances, and when those shows became televised in the eighties, his colorful personality reached an entire new audience.

While he had plenty of songs recorded in the eighties and nineties, it’s been in the new century that Anderson had his most prolific songwriting renaissance. He’s co-written songs for contemporary artists such as Sara Evans and Sugarland. Amazingly, in his fifth decade of writing, he earned his first Song of the Year trophy for the Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss hit, “Whiskey Lullaby.” Just a couple of years later, he won a companion piece for his mantle, taking home honors for the George Strait hit, “Give it Away.”

Amazingly, these awards came after he was already inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor he received in 2001. In addition to remaining a current songwriter on the charts, Anderson continues to document the incredibly legacy of country music, hosting popular concert reunions for country singers and songwriters of days gone by. He has also written successful memoirs and reflections on life, and can still be found on the Opry stage sharing some of those stories in between performances of the songs that have kept him on the stage for more than five decades.

As the nineties began, George Strait was the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, a title noted on the belt buckle he wore on the cover of Livin’ it Up.

Around this time, Billboard switched to monitoring radio stations in real time, revealing just how often songs were really being played. So while all of his eighties #1 singles spent only a week at the top, all four of the #1 singles listed here spent multiple weeks in the penthouse, including two five-week runs at the top.

One of Strait’s most enduring hits, “Love Without End, Amen” foreshadowed the understated religiousness of future hits like “I Saw God Today.” A classic three act story song, it makes its point subtly and endearingly.

A minor hit for Cal Smith in 1968, Strait continues his tradition of reviving the country songs that inspired his style. It’s easy to see how this flew over the heads of many listeners when Smith first released it, but Strait’s smooth delivery helped get it some wider exposure 22 years later.

Nervy, nervous and a little unnerving, there’s a tension present here that is a bit jarring from the genre’s Sinatra. Sometimes bitter is just better, making this one of Strait’s most compelling singles to date.

Ever imagine what K.T. Oslin’s “Hold Me” would’ve sounded like if it had the same theme with a traditional song structure? Here’s your answer. It still sounds great today, though a bit more punch in the production would’ve helped a bit.

Western swing and wily wit, Strait shines on this comedic number. He plays it just straight enough to keep it on the right side of the line between good humor and silliness, never losing the self-awareness necessary to make it work.

As exciting as the prospect of George Strait singing a Gretchen Peters song might seem, she was definitely still honing her craft on this single that was co-written by Green Daniel. The concept is solid, and the imagery is vivid, but the parallels between the changing of the seasons and the impending changing of lovers aren’t drawn sharply enough.

As with the similar CMA category of Single of the Year, looking over the history of this category is the quickest way to get a snapshot of country music in a given year. There is a quite a bt of consensus among the two organizations here, and it is very rare for the winner at one show to not at least be nominated at the other. The winners list here would make a great 2-disc set of country classics, at least for those who don’t mind a little pop in their country. The ACM definitely has more of a taste for crossover than its CMA counterpart, and the organizations have only agreed on 17 singles in the past four decades and change.

As always, we start with a look at this year’s nominees and work our way back to 1968.

2010

Zac Brown Band, “Toes”

Billy Currington, “People Are Crazy”

Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”

Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”

David Nail, “Red Light”

There’s usually a “Huh?” nominee among the ACM list in recent years. This year, it’s David Nail. Good for him! Currington hasn’t won yet for this hit, even though he got himself a Grammy nomination for it. With Lady Antebellum reaching the upper ranks of the country and pop charts with “Need You Now”, my guess is that they’re the presumptive favorites. Then again, Miranda Lambert is a nominee for the third straight year, and she’s up for her biggest radio hit.

2009

Trace Adkins, “You’re Gonna Miss This”

Jamey Johnson, “In Color”

Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder & Lead”

Heidi Newfield, “Johnny and June”

Brad Paisley, “Waitin’ On a Woman”

Adkins has been a fairly regular fixture on country radio since 1996, but this was his first major industry award. He also won the ACM for Top New Male Vocalist in 1997.

2008

Gary Allan, “Watching Airplanes”

Big & Rich, “Lost in This Moment”

Kenny Chesney, “Don’t Blink”

Miranda Lambert, “Famous in a Small Town”

Sugarland, “Stay”

“Stay” swept the Song of the Year categories at all three industry shows, along with winning the ACM for Single Record. Allan’s presence here shows that being a little West Coast can still help a guy at the ACMs.

2007

Heartland, “I Loved Her First”

Rascal Flatts, “What Hurts the Most”

George Strait, “Give it Away”

Josh Turner, “Would You Go With Me”

Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats”

George Strait earned his second ACM Single Record award a decade after his first (“Check Yes or No”) and two and a half decades after having his first radio hit. Underwood won at the CMAs later that year. “Give it Away” is one of a small group of ACM winners to not receive a nomination at the CMA ceremony.

2006

Gary Allan, “Best I Ever Had”

Brooks & Dunn, “Believe”

Brad Paisley, “Alcohol”

Sugarland, “Baby Girl”

Carrie Underwood, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”

In the battle of biblical hits, the CMA picked Brooks & Dunn but the ACM picked Carrie Underwood. Much like George Strait would later win a CMA trophy for a different single (“I Saw God Today”), Underwood later triumphed at the CMA with “Before He Cheats.”

2005

Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying”

Brad Paisley with Alison Krauss, “Whiskey Lullaby”

Rascal Flatts, “Bless the Broken Road”

Keith Urban, “Days Go By”

Gretchen Wilson, “Redneck Woman”

Lee Ann Womack, “I May Hate Myself in the Morning”

Because McGraw picked up the trophy at the CMAs in 2004, the field was cleared for Womack to win the CMA later in 2005. McGraw had won the ACM before for “It’s Your Love.”

2004

Brooks & Dunn, “Red Dirt Road”

Alan Jackson with Jimmy Buffett, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere”

Alan Jackson, “Remember When”

Toby Keith, “American Soldier”

Randy Travis, “Three Wooden Crosses”

Among all the lead nominees, only Toby Keith wasn’t a previous winner. Still, the award went to the new alcoholic’s creed, winning over a more pensive Jackson track and a big comeback hit for Randy Travis.

2003

Kenny Chesney, “The Good Stuff”

Toby Keith, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”

Trick Pony, “Just What I Do”

Keith Urban, “Somebody Like You”

Mark Wills, “19 Somethin'”

Chesney spent nearly two months at #1 with this hit, perhaps giving him the edge over the other mega-hits at radio from Keith, Urban, and Wills. As for the Trick Pony nomination, somebody really should find out what Heidi Newfield has on those ACM voters.

2002

Brooks & Dunn, “Ain’t Nothin’ ‘Bout You”

Diamond Rio, “One More Day”

Alan Jackson, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”

Toby Keith, “I Wanna Talk About Me”

Travis Tritt, “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive”

Jackson’s powerful 9/11 reflection stands out as the only ballad among his four ACM Single Record victories.

2001

Toby Keith, “How Do You Like Me Now?!”

John Michael Montgomery, “The Little Girl”

Jamie O’Neal, “There is No Arizona”

Aaron Tippin, “Kiss This”

Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert, “I Hope You Dance”

Toby Keith’s run of four consecutive nominations began this year. His album of the same name proved victorious that evening. Womack’s massive hit became an instant standard, and is incidentally the most recent winner to also be a genuine crossover hit.

2000

Dixie Chicks, “Ready to Run”

Lonestar, “Amazed”

Tim McGraw, “Please Remember Me”

Brad Paisley, “He Didn’t Have to Be”

George Strait, “Write This Down”

As pop hits go, this one was a monster. “Amazed” even topped the Hot 100, the first country single to do so since “Islands in the Stream.”

1999

Faith Hill, “This Kiss”

Martina McBride, “A Broken Wing”

Shania Twain, “You’re Still the One”

Steve Wariner, “Holes in the Floor of Heaven”

The Wilkinsons, “26 Cents”

Hill and hubby Tim McGraw each have two ACM trophies in this category, one solo and one shared.

1998

Diamond Rio, “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”

Tim McGraw with Faith Hill, “It’s Your Love”

LeAnn Rimes, “How Do I Live”

George Strait, “Carrying Your Love With Me”

Trisha Yearwood, “How Do I Live (from “Con Air”)”

While Yearwood had won over Rimes at the Grammys a few weeks earlier, the ACM sidestepped the big controversy of the year and gave the trophy to the biggest hit in the bunch.

1997

Brooks & Dunn, “My Maria”

Deana Carter, “Strawberry Wine”

Tracy Lawrence, “Time Marches On”

LeAnn Rimes, “Blue”

George Strait, “Carried Away”

It’s rare that the ACM goes with the song that was least successful at radio, but don’t let that #10 peak of “Blue” fool you. That hit was responsible for millions of record sales.

1996

Brooks & Dunn, “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”

Faith Hill, “It Matters to Me”

Tim McGraw, “I Like It, I Love It”

George Strait, “Check Yes or No”

Shania Twain, “Any Man of Mine”

It was a stroke of marketing brilliance: add two singles to a box set of a genre superstar. When the first single became one of his biggest hits, the box set quickly became the top selling in country music history.

1995

Joe Diffie, “Third Rock From the Sun”

Vince Gill, “Tryin’ to Get Over You”

Alan Jackson, “Livin’ On Love”

Tim McGraw, “Don’t Take the Girl”

John Michael Montgomery, “I Swear”

There have been a few wedding standards to win this award, though Montgomery’s hit didn’t cross over in its original form.

1994

Clint Black with Wynonna, “A Bad Goodbye”

Garth Brooks, “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)”

Alan Jackson, “Chattahoochee”

Reba McEntire with Linda Davis, “Does He Love You”

Dwight Yoakam, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”

Jackson won the ACM with his massive hit, but the McEntire/Davis duet and the Yoakam track were Grammy winners.

1993

John Anderson, “Straight Tequila Night”

Brooks & Dunn, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”

Billy Ray Cyrus, “Achy Breaky Heart”

Collin Raye, “Love, Me”

Tanya Tucker, “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane”

Brooks & Dunn are among the most nominated artists in this category’s history, but this is their only victory.

1992

Clint Black, “Where Are You Now”

Garth Brooks, “Shameless”

Alan Jackson, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”

Travis Tritt, “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)”

Trisha Yearwood, “She’s in Love With the Boy”

This was Jackson’s first major industry award.

1991

Alabama, “Jukebox in My Mind”

Garth Brooks, “Friends in Low Places”

Vince Gill, “When I Call Your Name”

Alan Jackson, “Here in the Real World”

Shenandoah, “Next to You, Next to Me”

Garth-mania was beginning to peak in 1991. He swept the ACMs that year.

1990

Clint Black, “Better Man”

Garth Brooks, “If Tomorrow Never Comes”

Patty Loveless, “Timber I’m Falling in Love”

Keith Whitley, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain”

Hank Williams & Hank Williams Jr., “There’s a Tear in My Beer”

Clint Black is one of only three artists in the last twenty years to win for their first proper single, with Carrie Underwood and LeAnn Rimes being the other two.

1989

Kathy Mattea, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”

K.T. Oslin, “I’ll Always Come Back”

Ricky Van Shelton, “I’ll Leave This World Loving You”

Randy Travis, “I Told You So”

Keith Whitley, “Don’t Close Your Eyes”

Mattea’s award-winning hit had such a high profile that it was even referenced in the dialog of the hit movie Rain Man.

1988

Restless Heart, “I’ll Still Be Loving You”

Ricky Van Shelton, “Somebody Lied”

George Strait, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Randy Travis, “Forever and Ever, Amen”

Hank Williams Jr., “Born to Boogie”

Travis won for the second year in a row with what would become his signature hit.

1987

Alabama, “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”

Janie Fricke, “Always Have, Always Will”

The Judds, “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain”

Reba McEntire, “Whoever’s in New England”

Randy Travis, “On the Other Hand”

This was technically his first single, but when released under the name Randy Traywick, it bombed. Warner Bros. then released “1982” under Randy Travis, and it went top ten. They then re-released this song, and it became his first #1 hit.

A surprising win, perhaps fueled by the momentum of Gilley’s previous single, “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”

1976

Glen Campbell, “Rhinestone Cowboy”

Freddie Fender, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”

Mickey Gilley, “Overnight Sensation”

Willie Nelson, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”

Kenny Starr, “The Blind Man in the Bleachers”

Campbell made quite the comeback with this one, and it later inspired the Dolly Parton film vehicle Rhinestone, which earned an ACM nomination of its own for the Tex Ritter Award.

1975

John Denver, “Back Home Again”

Merle Haggard, “Things Aren’t Funny Anymore”

Ronnie Milsap, “(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time”

Cal Smith, “Country Bumpkin”

Billy Swan, “I Can Help”

Smith may not have gotten all the recognition that his talent warranted, but he made two undeniable classics: “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking”, and his winner here.

1974

Merle Haggard, “If We Make it Through December”

Byron MacGregor, “The Americans”

Jeanne Pruett, “Satin Sheets”

Charlie Rich, “Behind Closed Doors”

Charlie Rich, “The Most Beautiful Girl”

Rich’s two hits were so big that even with vote-splitting, he still emerged the winner.

1973

Donna Fargo, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.”

Merle Haggard, “It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)”

Johnny Rodriguez, “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)”

Jerry Wallace, “If You Leave Me Tonight I’ll Cry”

Faron Young, “Four in the Morning”

Fargo was a local star on the West Coast before she broke through nationwide with this hit, dominating the 1973 ACM Awards as a result.

1972

Merle Haggard, “Carolyn”

Freddie Hart, “Easy Loving”

Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, “Lead Me On”

Loretta Lynn, “One’s On the Way”

Charley Pride, “Kiss an Angel Good Morning”

This gold-selling classic helped Hart triumph over the superstars of his day.

1971

Lynn Anderson, “Rose Garden”

Merle Haggard, “The Fightin’ Side of Me”

Anne Murray, “Snowbird”

Ray Price, “For the Good Times”

Sammi Smith, “Help Me Make it Through the Night”

Each one of these is a classic in its own right. In a battle of Kristofferson-penned hits, Price emerged victorious, though Smith won the CMA later that year.

1970

Glen Campbell, “Try a Little Kindness”

Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue”

Merle Haggard, “Okie From Muskogee”

Billy Mize, “Make it Rain”

Elvis Presley, “Don’t Cry Daddy”

Freddy Weller, “Games People Play”

Tammy Wynette, “Stand By Your Man”

Haggard’s only victory in this category came on a night where he also won Album of the Year for the only time in several nominations.

1969

Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman”

Merle Haggard, “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am”

Merle Haggard, “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde”

Merle Haggard, “Mama Tried”

Roger Miller, “Little Green Apples”

Miller’s known for his legendary songwriting, but his winning hit here was penned by Bobby Russell.

1968

Glen Campbell, “Burning Bridges”

Glen Campbell, “Gentle on My Mind”

The Gosdin Bros., “Hangin’ On”

Bobbie Gentry, “Ode to Billy Joe”

Merle Haggard, “Branded Man”

Merle Haggard, “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”

A young Vern Gosdin made up half of the nominated Gosdin Bros., a nice historical footnote to the first year of this category. Glen Campbell’s victory was appropriately West Coast for the ACMs first attempt at honoring the national country music scene.

I was going to connect this somehow to country music, perhaps by discussing K.T. Oslin’s sudden stardom at age 45, or seeing award show winners like Cal Smith or Suzy Bogguss completely stunned and humbled by the recognition of their talent.

But I’m really just sharing this because it made me smile broadly and think of the world as a better, brighter place.

For a look back at the other major categories, visit our CMA Awards page.

2010

Dierks Bentley

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

George Strait

Keith Urban

Bentley and Shelton have never won, but they’re up against Strait, who has won five times, and Paisley and Urban, who’ve won three times each. With the balance of commercial and critical success not significantly different across the category, this race could bring the night’s biggest surprise. But whatever happens, kudos to Paisley for earning his tenth nomination, and Strait for earning his twenty-fifth!

2009

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Darius Rucker

George Strait

Keith Urban

Just like in the Entertainer category, 80% of this race for the past three years had been Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, and Keith Urban. This year, Darius Rucker took the fifth slot that was occupied by Alan Jackson in 2008 and Josh Turner in 2007. Brad Paisley went on to win his third Male Vocalist prize.

2008

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Keith Urban

After so many years on the sidelines, Paisley began to dominate the category, scoring his second consecutive Male Vocalist award. Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney tied Willie Nelson for most nominations without a win, though his seventh loss was accompanied by his fourth win for Entertainer.

2007

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Josh Turner

Keith Urban

This was the year that Brad Paisley finally won, with his seventh nomination in eight years. The stars aligned for him, with a very successful tour, a new album that is selling strongly, and a continued hot streakat radio that was nearly unmatched. He still hasn’t had a single miss the top ten since “Me Neither” in 2000, a claim that even radio favorites like George Strait, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts can’t call their own.

2006

Dierks Bentley

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Brad Paisley

Keith Urban

Urban became the first artist to win Male Vocalist three years in a row since George Strait did it in 1996-1998, right after Vince Gill’s 1991-1995 run. His acceptance letter, read by Ronnie Dunn, was the emotional highlight of the evening’s show.

2005

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Keith Urban

No surprises here, as another multi-platinum year full of radio hits and a high-profile appearance at Live 8 kept Urban fresh on voter’s minds. The big shock was him walking away with Entertainer of the Year later that night.

2004

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

George Strait

Keith Urban

Urban hadn’t even been nominated for any CMA Awards in 2002 and 2003, after winning Horizon in 2001, but he came back with a bang, taking home Male Vocalist of the Year over the four other superstars in the category. He joined Chesney as the only other man in the running who had never won before; Chesney got the wonderful consolation prizes of Entertainer and Album of the Year the same night.

2003

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Things were getting tight in this category in 2003, with so many worthy contenders that ties resulted in six nominees, instead of the usual five. Still, voters chose to stick with last year’s winner, Alan Jackson, a sure indicator of his enduring popularity among CMA voters.

2002

Kenny Chesney

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Brad Paisley

George Strait

The other four men were merely placeholders, there to create a list around the obvious winner, Alan Jackson. As he swept the awards on the strength of his post-9/11 “Where Were You” and autobiographical “Drive”, the only real shock was that he was winning Male Vocalist for the first time, a result of the ridiculously slow turnover in this category during the 1990’s.

2001

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Toby Keith has been a vocal critic of the CMA because he feels they’ve overlooked him, but he’s been up against some tough competition, with his popularity peaking at the same time that Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban were making a huge impact on the charts and at the CMA’s. Thankfully, he’s at least won in this category, so he won’t go down in history with Willie Nelson and Conway Twitty as one of the best male singers to never win it.

2000

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

George Strait

On the same evening that his wife was crowned Female Vocalist, McGraw walked away with his second consecutive Male Vocalist award.

1999

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

Tim McGraw

George Strait

Steve Wariner

Early on in his career, when McGraw was selling tons of records but being excluded from this category, he humbly said that he didn’t think he was a good enough singer to be nominated. His talents grew over the years, and he finally won in 1999.

1998

Garth Brooks

Vince Gill

Tim McGraw

Collin Raye

George Strait

Strait matched Vince Gill’s record of five wins in this category, defeating Gill and three other nominees who had yet to win in the category.

1997

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

Collin Raye

George Strait

Bryan White

With no turnover in the category from the previous year, Strait won for the fourth time, again defeating his fellow mega-winner Gill, and three other stars who had never won before.

1996

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

Collin Raye

George Strait

Bryan White

Jackson was already long overdue, and Collin Raye and Bryan White broke into the category for the first time. Nobody expected Gill to win for the sixth year in a row, but many were surprised to see former two-time winner George Strait collect a Male Vocalist award for the first time in ten years.

1995

John Berry

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

John Michael Montgomery

George Strait

Even Gill was expecting to lose, so when his name was called out for the fifth year in a row, he was gamely applauding backstage for the winner, before suddenly realizing it was him and rushing out to the stage.

1994

John Anderson

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

George Strait

Dwight Yoakam

Vince won for the fourth year in a row, even though fellow nominees John Anderson, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam were seen as likely spoilers.

1993

John Anderson

Garth Brooks

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

George Strait

Vince not only won his third Male Vocalist award this year, he also took home four other awards: Entertainer, Album, Song and Vocal Event.

1992

Garth Brooks

Joe Diffie

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

Travis Tritt

A bunch of hot young stars dominated the ballot this year, with Gill emerging triumphant for the second time. Though they would continue to score hits for many years, Joe Diffie and Travis Tritt received their only nominations to date in this category.

1991

Clint Black

Garth Brooks

Vince Gill

Alan Jackson

George Strait

After Garth swept the ACM’s earlier that year, he was expected to do the same at the CMA’s, and he came close, winning Entertainer, Single and Album. But industry favorite Vince Gill took home Male Vocalist, an award that Garth Brooks would never receive, though he would win Entertainer a record four times.

1990

Clint Black

Garth Brooks

Rodney Crowell

Ricky Van Shelton

George Strait

For the second year in a row, the previous year’s Horizon winner took home Male Vocalist. Clint Black won easily over very distinguished competition.

1989

Rodney Crowell

Ricky Van Shelton

George Strait

Randy Travis

Keith Whitley

After winning Horizon in 1988, platinum-selling Ricky Van Shelton graduated into a Male Vocalist winner only one year later. Keith Whitley received a posthumous nomination; he won Single of the Year that same evening.

1988

Vern Gosdin

Ricky Van Shelton

George Strait

Randy Travis

Hank Williams, Jr.

It’s hard not to wince at the knowledge that the peerless Vern Gosdin only received one nomination in this category, but there was no stopping Travis from collecting his second win.

1987

George Jones

Ricky Skaggs

George Strait

Randy Travis

Hank Williams, Jr.

In a lineup that was a traditionalist’s dream, new star Randy Travis took home the trophy. At the time, he was breaking sales records, enjoying a quadruple-platinum studio album in Always & Forever.

1986

George Jones

Gary Morris

George Strait

Randy Travis

Hank Williams, Jr.

Strait won his second consecutive Male Vocalist award on the strength of another huge year at radio and retail.

1985

Lee Greenwood

Gary Morris

Ricky Skaggs

George Strait

Hank Williams, Jr.

George Strait won the first of a record-matching five Male Vocalist awards, also taking home Album of the Year that same evening.

1984

Lee Greenwood

Merle Haggard

Gary Morris

Ricky Skaggs

George Strait

Greenwood’s Vegas vocals won him the award for the second time.

1983

John Anderson

Lee Greenwood

Merle Haggard

Willie Nelson

Ricky Skaggs

Greenwood looks pretty shabby against these other four nominees, taking home Male Vocalist in the same year Janie Fricke won for Female Vocalist. Is there a year in the history of the CMA’s where the winners of those two categories were collectively less impressive?

1982

Merle Haggard

George Jones

Ronnie Milsap

Willie Nelson

Ricky Skaggs

Pulling off the astonishing feat of winning both Male Vocalist and Horizon award, Emmylou Harris’ former bandmate was hugely rewarded for bringing bluegrass to the masses.

1981

George Jones

Ronnie Milsap

Willie Nelson

Kenny Rogers

Don Williams

It’s taken for granted that Jones is the greatest living male vocalist in country music; few would dare to argue otherwise. No surprise, then, that he won for the second year in a row.

1980

John Conlee

George Jones

Willie Nelson

Kenny Rogers

Don Williams

Nominated for the first time in his career, George Jones walked away with Male Vocalist of the Year, along with Single of the Year for “He Stopped Loving Her Today”.

1979

John Conlee

Larry Gatlin

Willie Nelson

Kenny Rogers

Don Williams

It’s hard to believe that the legendary showman never won Entertainer of the Year, but he did take home a much-deserved Male Vocalist award, at least. Unfortunately, fellow nominee John Conlee would never be recognized at all, losing his first of two shots at this award.

1978

Larry Gatlin

Ronnie Milsap

Willie Nelson

Kenny Rogers

Don Williams

One of the most underrated artists in country music history got a well-deserved pat on the back, winning over four larger personalities in 1978.

1977

Larry Gatlin

Waylon Jennings

Ronnie Milsap

Kenny Rogers

Don Williams

Milsap set a record when he won for the third time in this category, which would stand until 1994, when Vince Gill won his fourth trophy.

1976

Waylon Jennings

Ronnie Milsap

Willie Nelson

Conway Twitty

Don Williams

After losing to Jennings the previous year, Milsap returned to collect his second Male Vocalist trophy in 1976. Conway Twitty lost again in his final appearance in the category.

1975

John Denver

Freddy Fender

Waylon Jennings

Ronnie Milsap

Conway Twitty

There was no love lost between Waylon Jennings and the CMA – he loathed the organization so much, he didn’t even show up at his Hall of Fame induction. This was the first of several CMA wins for Jennings, though the only one in this category that he would receive.

1974

Merle Haggard

Waylon Jennings

Ronnie Milsap

Charlie Rich

Cal Smith

Blind singer-songwriter and pianist Ronnie Milsap won for the first time; with Olivia Newton-John winning Female Vocalist the same night, pop was the flavor of the evening.

1973

Merle Haggard

Tom T. Hall

Charlie Rich

Johnny Rodriguez

Conway Twitty

The Silver Fox won on the strength of a great year at radio. He’s still considered one of the era’s finest and most under-appreciated vocalists.

1972

Merle Haggard

Freddie Hart

Johnny Paycheck

Charley Pride

Jerry Wallace

Charley Pride became the first artist to repeat in the category, winning for the second year in a row.

1971

Merle Haggard

Ray Price

Charley Pride

Jerry Reed

Conway Twitty

The CMA had a wealth of great male vocalists to choose from in the early years of the awards, and they finally got around to acknowledging Pride, who had been nominated four times already.

1970

Johnny Cash

Merle Haggard

Charley Pride

Marty Robbins

Conway Twitty

Merle Haggard dominated the show in 1970, winning Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single and Album of the Year.

1969

Glen Campbell

Johnny Cash

Merle Haggard

Sonny James

Charley Pride

Cash was a huge winner in 1969, taking home five awards: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single, Album and Vocal Group (with wife June Carter Cash). He wouldn’t win again until after his death in 2003, when he took home another three awards.

1968

Eddy Arnold

Glen Campbell

Johnny Cash

Merle Haggard

Charley Pride

Crossover star Glen Campbell won in a year that is so impressive, all five nominees are now in the Hall of Fame. He also took home Male Vocalist the same evening.

1967

Eddy Arnold

Jack Greene

Merle Haggard

Sonny James

Buck Owens

Few casual country fans would recognize him today, but Jack Greene will forever go down in history as the first Male Vocalist winner at the CMA’s. He won on the strength of his signature hit “There Goes My Everything”, which also won Single of the Year and was the title track of his Album of the Year winner that same night.